ann13037 — Announcement

Danish Industry Day at ESO

30 April 2013

On 16 May 2013, ESO will host an industry event for a Danish business delegation at its headquarters in Garching bei München, Germany. This meeting will provide representatives of Danish companies and institutions with information about ESO and the potential opportunities that are available to take part in ESO’s industrial activities.

Modern astronomical telescopes and instruments are composed of many elements, which have to be designed by engineers and scientists, and are produced by scientific and technological companies and institutes. ESO operates some of the most powerful ground-based telescopes in the world, and will start constructing the European Extremely Large Telescope (E-ELT) in the near future — tasks that are only possible with the support of a strong network of external partners in industry. This could offer new opportunities for Danish enterprises and institutes to cooperate, bid for contracts and develop the innovative technology needed.

On 12 April 2013 representatives of Denmark confirmed that their country will participate in the E-ELT programme.

Since 2005, ESO has awarded contracts worldwide totalling more than 600 million euros, the vast majority of which have been placed with companies in the ESO Member States and Chile, forging many strong international relationships with private partners in order to secure the necessary technical expertise.

During this meeting, ESO Director General Tim de Zeeuw will introduce representatives of Danish companies to the benefits of a working relationship with ESO. The Danish companies will have the opportunity to familiarise themselves with the technological requirements of the organisation, as well as its procurement procedures. There will also be time reserved for one-on-one meetings between representatives of ESO and Danish companies.

This industry day is being organised by the Danish Big Science Secretariat, together with ESO.